Korea-named dinosaur among three natural monuments set for designation

The skeletal fossil of the first dinosaur to carry Korea's name in its scientific designation internationally is set to be designated a natural monument.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday it plans to designate three natural monuments: the skeletal fossil of an ornithopod dinosaur from Boseong (Koreanosaurus boseongensis), the skeletal fossil of a pig-nosed turtle from Yeosu (Byeonjubuchelys yeosuensis), and the tafoni rock formations on Suudo Island in Tongyeong.

Ornithopods are dinosaurs with bird-like feet and three toes that left blunt, broad tracks. The skeletal fossil was discovered between 2000 and 2004 along the coast of Seonso Village in Bibong-ri, Boseong, South Jeolla Province, during a survey of a dinosaur egg fossil site already designated a natural monument as the "Boseong Bibong-ri Dinosaur Egg Fossil Site."

Researchers at Chonnam National University's Korea Dinosaur Research Center, while searching for intact dinosaur bones and juvenile dinosaur remains, identified the animal's left shoulder blade (scapula), vertebrae and ribs in 2003. The find is the first ornithopod skeletal fossil ever discovered on the Korean Peninsula and provides important information about dinosaurs that inhabited the region during the Late Cretaceous period.

The fossil is an exceptionally rare Asian specimen of the subfamily Orodrominae and serves as significant evidence of dinosaur migration between North America and Asia during the Cretaceous period. A German geoscience and paleontology journal (SCIE) formally registered the scientific name Koreanosaurus boseongensis in 2010.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said the fossil "has clear distinction as the only skeletal fossil among scientifically named Korean dinosaurs for which the discovery site and excavation process are precisely documented."

Alongside this, the skeletal fossil of a pig-nosed turtle from Yeosu (Byeonjubuchelys yeosuensis), also proposed for natural monument status, was found on Soreukdo Island in Yeosu in 2006 and retains both its upper and lower shell.

The administration said the specimen is "the only turtle fossil found in Korea with the appendicular skeleton — including the spine, forelimb bones and hindlimb bones — fully intact, making it exceptionally rare."

The tafoni formations on Suudo Island in Tongyeong are a geological heritage site on the southern coastal cliffs of Suudo Island in Saryang-myeon, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and on the southern slope of Ttandokseom, a small islet about 150 meters off Suudo's eastern shore. The site holds high academic value because the full sequence of tafoni formation and growth can be observed in a single location, and the formations remain well preserved in their original state.

The administration said it will review public feedback over a 30-day notice period before submitting the designations for final approval by the National Heritage Committee.